Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-03-04

ua!, TOT tne murder of her husband in
the faii OF 1854. She had borne nm braxa-
y and hopeful until SATURDAY. when 70,
the nrst tame she seemed to come to a fnu
rsahzation of the fate that swsited her
she wept much of the time yesterday and
con'inued to protest her innocence of tba
awful crime. Her spiritual adviser Rev
Ut. Powell, held services for her benefit
IN the jail, last evening. Mr.H,A Iucs
her attorney, had an interview with Gov
dili, last evening, about an hour snS .
half, and made a strong ples for tbs
communication of the sentence To impr;s
onment for life, but Gov. Hill refused 20
interfere W
ABOUT Two weeks ago he appointed
medical commission who examined tha
question, and decided that Mrs. Drnss
was sane when she murdered her hpsh.ps
On the strength of shis report he refnsa,,
TO take further action. Luce left har -
II O'Clock last night. She SAWS sha for.
gives all her enemies and those who nrose-
cuted her. She was calm and cnnnns.s
at ll;So a. m. A farewell letter and bconst
was brought her from her daughter Mar
Mrs Dfuse SLEPT but little during the
night, and her mutterinSs while dozine
showed she was in great mental ss,onv
She ate no breakfast At ll:l5 the inrnrs
deputies and Others appointed to witness
the execution visited the cell and .ba aasth
warrant was read. Mrs. Druse than hros,
DOVE completely, but BY the efforts of Dr
Powell recovered her composure, and the
procession was formed
TO .THE scAERoLp,
Then followed the usual ceremonies of
prayer, The remarks, the sad fareweus.
@ .ns aul lnsting of the moose and the car.
me 2lS-pound weight dropped M
II '4s O'Clock a. m, and the womau's
oouy vas lifted about three feet aboye
tne noor of the gallows. There was
but one CONFUSION or muscular contrac.
ton of the body and the body then hung
quiet" The wind was bowling fierceIy AZ
TINS moment with bright sky and zero
Mrs. Druse's death under the Judgment
OF the law was far more easy and msrci.
tul than was that of her victim, her hus.
band, In December, 1854. Drs. Kay and
Smtor took observations of tho voman's
pulse and heart during the time she was
hanging. They pronounced her dead at
i2;oS P. M, but the body was left hang
ing until l2:l4, twenty,six minutes after
the weight fell, when it was taken down
by order of the sheriff. Upon examina.
tlon the surgeon declared that her neck
vas not broken and that death was caused
by Strangulation.
Undertaken w. Il. Houell placed the
remains in the coffin, closed it aud a hearse
and two sleighs were driven into the iaiI
yard.
TuR BURIAL
At l2:2S Z. IN, the modest funeral cor
tege passed out of the Jail ward and
through the crowd about the jail There
were no demonstrations on the part of
the spectators. At Oak Hill cemetery. on
the hill about mile west OF the village,
The coffin was placed in an outer case.
Before depositing it into tho compart
ment of the vault, DIR. Powell made a few
remarks, saying that this woman had left
this sorrowful world to meet a merciful
God. He said that her devotion to her
daughter was phenomenal, and
also her self-pos7ession was remark
sble. In his committal PRAYER
he asked that the day might dawn when
those separated from this mother might
be reunited with her. The coffin was then
placed In compartment No. Is, whero il
will rest until the final disposition of the
remains has been decided upon. Sheriff
Cook gave DR.. Powell permission to call
upon as many deputies as he desired for
temporary guard purposes. BY 1880
p. IN. the excitement in the village had
entirely subsidized and the ma jority of the
visitors had left the town. The execu-
tion was conducted with decency and de
corum and in manner that did credit
to Sheriff Cook and his assistants. This
Is the first execution that ever occurred
within the present limits of Herkimer
county, although nearly forty murders
are on record.
THE CONFESSION.
Yesterday morning Mrs. Druse request
ed the presence of Rev. DIR. Powell. He
at once went to see ker, and after the at
tendants had withdrawn she made full
requesting that he keep it
secret until she was dead. She told of
the conversation with Charles Gates in
to killing Mr. Druse, when he,
Gates, returned the pistol he had given
her and asked if she could use it. He
urged her TO take the first chance she
got and promised his help if anything
happened. He told her not to burn
the head, but he would take care of
IL. NSAb hiOIilLk lulS was Just hittI
he had raised the ak to strike me') she
saw Gates coming up the road just as
Druse sat down to breakfast. Son ran
into the pantry, got the pistol, and came
out. Druse was sitting at the table. She
shot and struck him in the neck, Gates
then shot through the window; fred three
)r four times. She took the ak and cut
Druse's head off, and chopped him up.
The head was wrepped up, put in the
woodshed and taken away that night by
Gates with lot of buckwheat The body
was all burned, then boiled by herself.
None of the body was given to the
pigs. That same night Gates shook
lor hand and said she had done nobly.
Gates is the only one now who knows
anything about the crime. 1t took eight
hours TO burn the body. 1t made an awful
smell. She nearly tainted several times.
She says, 81 killed Druse because | could
lot stand it any longer. He was brute
and had not slept with him in twelve
Years. That's all | can tell, Gates put up
Frank to tell what he did to shove ii all
0n me, but he will get his reward some
ime."
She exonsrated her daughter Mary, who
s serving life sentence in the peniten-
iary for completely in the crime, declar-
ing she had nothing 10 do with 1t.